Henderson, Ky. — When a historic establishment changes hands, there is always a concern that the new owners will want to revamp all the things the regular customers love.

Moriah Hobgood, owner of Mo's House bar in Evansville, recently purchased Metzger's Tavern in Henderson. She'll be running the long-time beloved bar and grill with general manager Sarah Stewart, and the duo want everyone to know that, except for one big improvement, very little will be changing at Metzger's.

“There are a lot of rumors and unrest,” said Hobgood. “I think because I remodeled the Haynie's Corner Pub into Mo's House, people think we're going to come in here and make everything modern. And we are not.”

Metzger's has a long and colorful history, which Stewart and Hobgood have been avidly researching. The building was built in the late 1800's and opened as a saloon.

“There are posts out front where the horses were tied up,” said Stewart. “There were no streets or sidewalks then, so they just rode up.”

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It takes a lot of elbow grease to remove more than 80 years of accumulated tobacco smoke. Kristy Duncan cleans away inside Metzger's near a few ancient twists of tobacco leaves.(Photo: Aimee Blume / Special to The Courier & Press)

When prohibition curtailed the liquor business, John and Elizabeth Metzger bought it and turned it into a grocery and pharmacy. When their son Don came home from World War II, he and his friend Joe Tigue once again made it a bar, and it's been pretty much the same since that day, despite a succession of owners.

“In the early days after the war, this was the package liquor store, the bar, the bank because everybody cashed their check here, and the restaurant,” said Stewart. “Also it was a mens' only bar. Not by law, but by culture. Women accepted it because their men were here with no other women around. We've heard stories from people who remember pulling up with their mom and running in to get Dad, because Mom couldn't come in. We also heard they put a cooler up front with bread, milk and eggs, because if the man was out at the bar all night and came home without the milk he was supposed to get, he'd be in big trouble.”

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Moriah Hobgood, left, and Sarah Stewart are the co-owner and general manager of Metzger's Tavern in Henderson. They love the history of the location and aim to keep it just like it is, minus the smoking.(Photo: Aimee Blume / Special to The Courier & Press)

The bar continued to welcome men only until 1994.

You heard right, it was 1994 when the doors finally opened to women, although there was not a women's bathroom installed until 2005.

The one big change that Hobgood and Stewart are making will not affect the building, the décor or the menu, but is causing upset among some long-time customers: they are going nonsmoking.

It was not a spur of the moment decision, nor was it taken lightly. Still, Hobgood and Stewart firmly believe it's what's best for the bar, employees and patrons in the long run.

“When we got in and started looking around, cleaning and accessing what simple updates needed to be done to make things run smoother, it was clear that we wanted to be nonsmoking,” said Stewart. “We want this place to be for everyone. The smokers that have always come here and smoked inside at their table are very upset, but the neighborhood people who never came in because it was full of smoke are very excited.”

“To me, having a smoking establishment is hard on your employees,” said Hobgood. “I care about my employees and I don't want to make them work in smoke. If they choose to smoke that's one thing, but having them work in it all day long, you go home hacking and coughing. I'm not asking anyone to do that.”

After eliminating the cigarette smoke, Hobgood and Stewart want nothing more than to take Metzger's and make it the best and cleanest version of itself, completely true to the history of the place.

“The menu when Don and Joe ran the place was simple,” said Stewart. “They served homemade bean soup, hamburgers with pickle and onions, chili and dip dogs, which is a split hot dog on the bottom half of a hamburger bun, and the cut side of the top bun is dipped in chili.”

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Only a few changes will be made to Metzger's bar. Real lemons and limes will be offered, and bitters will be made in house.(Photo: Aimee Blume / Special to The Courier & Press)

Many of those old dishes continued to be made at the bar right up until the present day, and Hobgood and Stewart are keeping them.

“We want the food to be good and good quality but we don't want to be fancy,” said Stewart. “A lot of what they were making here is really good.”

“We want to keep the history with the chili and bean soup and burgers,” added Hobgood. “We're sticking mostly with the same recipes.”

For example, the sauces and dressings will be made in house, as will the same good pimento cheese in both regular and spicy versions. The special house spicy beer mustard that's mixed up from dry mustard powder right behind the bar will remain the same.

Whole hams are baked right in the bar, then deboned and sliced for hot ham and cheese sandwiches. The bone is cracked and used to make the rich bean soup.

One big question about the menu lingers, however.

“The chili they have been serving here has spaghetti noodles in it,” said Stewart. “It used to be macaroni. We might take a poll to find out which the customers would rather have.”

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Only a few changes will be made to Metzger's bar. Real lemons and limes will be offered, and bitters will be made in house.(Photo: Aimee Blume / Special to The Courier & Press)

“Drinks-wise this has always been a beer bar so that's what we're going to keep it—cold beer,” said Hobgood. “We'll have one tap dedicated to seasonals, and keep the favorite domestics, and we will add Stella Artois. There won't a lot of big changes, but we will add real lemons and limes. I think some old fashioned whiskey cocktails would work well here, and we're working on making our own bitters.”

“Through all the years this has stayed the neighborhood bar, and it is such a deep part of the east end history,” said Stewart. “This was the middle-class neighborhood in the late 1800's and early 1900's, and there are commercial buildings scattered among the houses. You had the laundromat, the doctor's office, the pharmacy, the bar, and everything was within walking distance. This place was a big part of that neighborhood feel. We are really honored to have the opportunity to keep something alive that's been around for so long, and to be the first women to ever own and run it.”

“I grew up three blocks down the street,” said Hobgood. “I remember coming here when I was a kid and it would be all guys. I'd get me a baloney sandwich and they'd sit me on the bar stool. We still want to be a part of the neighborhood, it's your bar.”

Hobgood and Stewart are hoping to have Metzgers open for business again around the end of January or first of February.

If you go

Metzger's Tavern is located at 1000 Powell St, Henderson Ky.

Phone (270) 826-9461

Keep your eyes on their Facebook page or the website at https://www.metzgerstavernky.com/ for opening date, hours, and more information.